Cellebrite DI has come under pressure after an allegation that its tech was used for unethical practices in Serbia. The company’s phone unlocking technology was used to install home-grown spyware on the mobile devices of journalists and activists. The allegations come from Amnesty International, which has based this news on the feedback received from Serbian activists.
Cellebrite DI is a leading provider of digital intelligence solutions in data extraction and mobile forensics. Law enforcement agencies typically use its technologies to extract data from mobile devices. It allows them to carry out investigations smoothly with quick access to data stored on mobile phones that are part of an investigation.
The company makes money from providing consulting and training services to organizations that use its technology for their investigative needs. It also develops custom solutions for such organizations. A large part of its revenue comes from a subscription to its software services.
According to Amnesty International, Cellebrite’s software was used to unlock phones and install spyware dubbed NoviSpy on multiple mobile phones. In some cases, journalists reported suspicious activities on their devices right after meeting government officials. One activist reported that his whole contacts list was immediately exported right after a meeting with officials of the BIA, the Serbian Intelligence Agency.
As Serbia’s use of Cellebrite’s tech comes under fire, it must be mentioned that this isn’t exactly the purpose of the company’s technology. While it’s true that law enforcement uses it to unlock phones, the purpose of that is to aid in investigations, not in spying on journalists and activists. Serbia got access to this software as part of a package funded by the Norwegian government through the United Nations to allow the country to fight organized crime. The use by government agencies has therefore come under fire and Norway isn’t happy either. The country’s deputy foreign minister, Maria Varteressian plans to take up the matter with the UN and Serbian authorities.
Cellebrite stock is up 140% in a year and has been on an uptrend since the Israel-Palestine conflict started in October last year. The company’s financial prospects are unlikely to be majorly impacted by this development as it isn’t directly responsible for the misuse of the product, nor did it directly supply it to the Serbian authorities. However, in the wake of Israel’s phone-exploding attack on Lebanon’s Hezbollah, spying software is being talked about more than before. This exposes the industry to stricter regulation, though we believe that is unlikely to cause much trouble as the company already has good relationships with governments due to the nature of its business.
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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
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